Can anything good come from the KSU Marching Band controversy?

Can anything good come from the Kansas State University Marching Band controversy? I certainly hope so!

In fairness you need to know:

I’m a former marching band member.

I’m a band director’s wife. My husband has directed marching bands at the high school and college level.

I’m the mom of a current college marching band member.

I am a band geek.

So back to the topic of good out of the controversy. Here is what I hope.

People will actually WATCH the FULL marching show.

While I am blessed to live in a community where most of the high school and college student bodies actually sit and watch the half-time show, I know that is rarely the case. I had to do a lot of asking around to find someone who had watched the whole KSU Marching Band show.

Does it matter? Yes, it matters. What was shared was out of context. What was shared didn’t highlight the good that happened on the field.

Marching band members spend hours learning to play an instrument. Then they have to learn to march in time performing moves that relate to others on the field. It takes a LOT of time. They deserve the 5-8 minutes of attention.

People will start sharing bits and pieces of the GOOD happening at half-time.

Last weekend, my Twitter and Facebook feeds were filled with the KSU Marching Band. This doesn’t bother me as a graduate of the University of Kansas. It does bother me how a mistake was repeatedly highlighted. I didn’t see the same coverage on missed passes by members of football teams.

Members of marching bands pay to take part. They give up running around during the football games. They are at the game working. They hit their marks more times than not. They play more right notes than wrong.

For these reasons, I lift a challenge.

Let’s spend the fall Tweeting and posting on Facebook some good moments from high school and college half-time shows. Be sure and add the hashtag #MarchingBandsRock. Let’s spread the good work of these talented students. Let’s let the world know #MarchingBandsRock.